2of2Trevor Crowe beats the throw to White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers to complete the scoring on a three-run double by Matt Dominguez in the second inning.Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

Jason Castro was having a good day during a strong start to a season that could soon be deemed All-Star worthy.

Then Jose Altuve stamped Castro with true All-Star approval.

While the third-year Astros catcher was soaking up the reward that came with his 10th home run of the year during his team's 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park before an announced crowd of 25,829 on Sunday, the fun-natured Astros second baseman looked over at rookie center fielder Brandon Barnes and made a confession.

Castro soon learned the face of the rebuilding Astros had elevated him to the peak of his personal most-popular list.

For a 25-year-old who spent the last two seasons struggling with major injuries and watching the shine of being the No. 10 overall pick in the 2008 MLB draft start to dull, hearing about Altuve's in-game honor was another reason to take pride in his 2013 resurgence and the spirit of a young team that continues to play better than almost anyone expected.

"We've got a great group of guys, and you can see that looseness kind of coming back," said Castro, who's hitting .270 with 23 RBIs, leads the club in slugging percentage (.476) and doubles (18) and ranks second in hits (60). "When you have that fun atmosphere to baseball in the clubhouse, that's when you can really put together your best baseball."

Unexpected streak

The Astros are 16-14 in their last 30 games, have won four consecutive contests and are on the verge of sweeping a four-game series from the light-hitting White Sox (28-38).

That left Porter praising a star-less team (26-44) for its will and determination.

"I give these guys credit, I give the staff credit, I give this entire organization (credit)," Porter said. "Everybody stayed positive and comes to the park each and every day ready to fight and put out maximum effort."

Castro has played a critical part in the resilience. The former Stanford standout was one of the premier Astros during spring training and showed signs of being on the verge of a breakout.

He started the regular season slowly, though, hitting just .207 with a .548 on-base-plus-slugging percentage through April 19 and was stuck at a .237 batting average May 17.

The Astros' turnaround began two days earlier, and Castro's rise has paralleled his club's surprising step forward. In his last 24 games, Castro has gone 28-for-87 (.322) with seven home runs, seven doubles and 13 RBIs.

A candidate at catcher

Eleven games before the midway point of the season and with a month until the All-Star Game on July 16 at Citi Field in New York, Castro is rivaling Altuve as the Astros' most All-Star-worthy athlete.

"Jason has found his groove," said Porter, who credited the Astros' move to the American League with allowing Castro to stay fresh by balancing the daily demands of catching while occasionally serving as designated hitter. "He understands exactly what it is he's doing. He's healthy. His legs are underneath him, and it's allowing him to put together an All-Star-type season."

With the catching position weak overall in MLB and Minnesota's Joe Mauer in line to take the fan vote, Castro is becoming a realistic candidate to represent the Astros in New York. He leads eligible AL catchers in extra-base hits (28), is tied with Cleveland's Carlos Santana for first in slugging percentage and ranks third in OPS (.814), wins above replacement (2.0) and runs created (36.4).

"He's really good right now," Altuve said. "The last two years when I watch him play, everybody knows he can hit. Now, he's bringing the team together. He's having an All-Star season. For me, he should be there and he's one of the best players on the team."

Improving all around

Castro's strength in advanced statistical categories is supported by his maturation as a defensive catcher and proof of becoming a balanced hitter.

Brian T. Smith is a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle. He has won multiple Associated Press Sports Editors awards and been honored by numerous journalism organizations. Smith was a Houston Texans beat writer for the Chronicle from 2013-15 and an Astros beat writer from 2012-13. The New Orleans-area native previously covered the NBA's Utah Jazz (The Salt Lake Tribune) and Portland Trail Blazers (The Columbian), among other beats. He is the author of the book Liftoff, which documented the Astros' rebuild and 2017 World Series championship.

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